Pages

Friday, September 25, 2015

"Last night I started thinking about this and this morning I woke up and I said my prayers -- as I always do -- and I decided today's the day I'm going to do this. As simple as that,” Boehner said during an emotional Capitol Hill press conference a day after he had a moving encounter with Pope Francis. - CNN

I wonder if his tear-fill moment with the Pope Francis had anything to do with it?

The 27-year-old married father of three posted explicit material to the Kik chatroom #toddlerf**k while stationed in his police vehicle on patrol on the overnight shift beginning on July 23, according to an affidavit. - via NY Daily News

Does Caroly Fiorina’s lie count? I say lie, but lies is more accurate. During the GOP primary debate on September 16, 2015, Fiorina slams Palnned Parenthood by describing a video she watched where an aborted fetus was kept alive for the harvest of its brain. The video she describes does not exist. She is lying. She went on to repeat the lie in subsequent interviews, and finally, a super-PAC backing her candidacy, created a video to backfill her story. Does her lie matter? I say yes.

Her lies pander to the worst in American politics; those who will do anything to further an agenda. Those who will fabricate false videos, plant misleading stories, harass patients, bomb clinics and kill doctors. Fiorina enables hate with her words and disqualifies herself from any chance at leading our country. She is poison. Her words venom. He mission corrupt.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

This story is from Florida (of course). Baptist pastor Aramis Bettiswas arrested for sexual assault, obscene communication, traveling to meet a minor and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. His victim was a 17 male who Bettis alleged paid for sex. Or more accurately, Bettis paid $100 to see the boy’s junk and another $500 to perform oral sex.

This guy… this baptist pedophile pastor… this creep… He worked at St. John Divine Missionary Baptist Church in Milton.

It is simple really. Though shall not lie. God does not allow an exception to stop gay marriage. It is black and white. Yet Kim Davis appears to have a special dispensation.

Lawyers for couples suing Davis have said that since her return to work, the Rowan County clerk has interfered with the issuance of marriage licenses in violation of orders by U.S. District Judge David Bunning’s in Louisville.

An attorney for Davis has said she has made a good-faith effort to comply with Bunning’s orders. She has said licenses granted by her staff are invalid because she has not given them that authority. - via www.rawstory.com

We judge a person by what they do and not by what they say. Is Kim Davis a good representation of Christianity? I find her version of Christianity horrifying.

If your state puts stickers in your textbooks telling you to ignore scientific fact, don’t complain when you end up working for Taco Bell.

This week, Alabama made headlines for revising its state science education standards. For the first time, teachers in the state will be required to teach evolution and the fact that humans contribute to climate change. But buried in that news was acknowledgement of a “sticker” that the state requires be placed on its biology textbooks, telling students that evolution is a “controversial theory,” not a fact. - Rawstory

The original article is worth a read, unless you are from Alabama. I’d just skip it and read a pop up book.

I knew it! Lefties are evil and if you don’t believe me just ask the Pre-K teacher at Oakes Elementary school in Okemah, Oklahoma.

A 4-year-old was allegedly forced by his teacher to write with his right hand, even though he’s left-handed.The child was sent home with a letter about how left-handedness is often associated with evil and the devil. - via KFOR.com

The devil is often depicted as left-handed, therefor, I am forcing all left-handed children to use their right hand to write, said the worst excuse for a teacher ever.

Monday, September 21, 2015

I don’t pay much attention to big name atheist. I’m just not interested, except for when they do something stupid. Richard Dawkins did something stupid.

Dawkins did not dispute that Mohamed should not have been arrested, but questioned whether the boy had truly “invented” the clock, as has been reported. He tweeted : “If this is true, what was his motive? Whether or not he wanted the police to arrest him, they shouldn’t have done so[.]” - via www.rawstory.com

Who actually thought that Ahmed Mohamed invented anything? We all winked, thought it was cute and then dismissed it with a good laugh while shaking our heads and saying, “Kids.” We’ve all been there. I invented a paper airplane back in middle school. The school even allowed me to patent it. Of course Ahmed did not invent anything, but who needs to point that out? Only the idiots among us it seems.

A man is in custody after he allegedly shot his girlfriend, his baby boy and a preacher at a church in Alabama this morning, police said.

The alleged shooter, identified as 26-year-old James Junior Minter, entered the Oasis Tabernacle Church in East Selma and sat between a woman and an infant in the front row, according to the Selma Police Department.

The CNN/ORC poll released Sunday shows there were five candidates who received less than one percent of support from likely Republican voters. Walker was among them, joined by former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and former New York Governor George Pataki. Less than one percent equates to zero percent, statistically. - via www.wkow.com

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Hey, my choice of titles of deliberate. What else do you call two Christian Republican Party elected politicians who cover up an affair with a vicious lie? They are rutting, they are Christians, they are elected officials and most notably, they are lying scumbags. Michigan state Rep. Todd Courser (R) and Rep. Cinday Gamrat (R) are no longer elected officials. Courser resigned and Gamrat was expelled. I say good riddance to both of them.

Courser's alleged extramarital affair with Gamrat was exposed by the Detroit News in August after Courser reportedly asked one of his aides to leak that Courser was spotted with a male prostitute. Courser later claimed that he faked the gay sex scandal to expose blackmailers.

The Michigan House disciplinary committee recommended on Thursday that both Courser and Gamrat be expelled for their roles in the affair and cover-up, prompting a lengthy debate on the state House floor. - via Talking Points Memo

It is justice of sorts. I’m sure they’ve asked for forgiveness though, so it’s all good. Gamrat is still in a state of denial though. As a Christian who ran on social conservative platform, how can she think that having an affair (she is married and her Christian lover is also married), plus lying about the affair in a vicious an horrible way, makes her qualified to represent her conservative Christian constituents? She failed the trust test. The fact that she does not see that is mystifying on one level and expected on another. She is more interested in making sure other people do what she thinks is the moral thing. Those rules do not apply to her.

I’ve come to think of the Republican Party as a rebranded entity known as the Christian Republican Party. All 2016 presidential candidates run on a campaign where Christianity and American Conservative Christian values are the main points of the campaign. Be it social agenda items like marriage equity or immigration or foreign policy, a warped sense of Christian values are ever-present.

It’s warped my thinking about politics. I think of the presidential candidates as pastors now and we are their flock. It’s one of the many reasons I do not go to ‘church'.

I listen to my liberal Christian friends and as usual, there is no sense of us (liberal Christians) against them (conservative Christians). Assuming that the Democratic Party represents liberal Christians is simply wrong. They conflate electing Hillary Clinton with defeating the conservative social agenda. My friends ally themselves with some of the conservative causes, like abortion, and some liberal causes like a social safety net. It’s not an us against them situation, it is an us against liberal Christian enablers.

It’s also hypocrisy. I think it is time to dip my toe in politics. Left or Right… It does not matter. I’m calling you out for the bad ideas and the faith-based solutions that perpetuate hate. We all should do the same.

We hope the corporations act responsibly. With Jared Fogle and Subway, I think we can assume that acting responsibly was not a factor.

Subway spokeswoman Kristen McMahon said the company received the "serious" complaint in 2011 from Rochelle Herman-Walrond, a former journalist from Florida who revealed publicly to WWSB-TV in Sarasota last month that she also took her concerns to the FBI and secretly recorded her phone conversations with Fogle for more than four years to assist the agency's investigation. - via kansascity

In business it’s all about process can consistency. Did Subway have a process to investigate these types of allegations and if the answer is yes, then why did they neglect to follow it? When I run a few possible scenarios through my mind where Subway ‘handles’ the allegations, the voice in my head sounds like Mr. Burns.

Monday, August 31, 2015

One of the most frustrating aspects of posting on clergy sexual abuse is attitudes towards sin found among some believers. The typical statue equates a pastor’s sin, like chid rape, with some small sin on the part of the person criticizing the pastor. In other words, deliberately speeding is the same as child rape, or worse, coveting thy neighbor’s wife, a thought crime, is the same as child rape. How does this make any sense?

Take this comment from the arrest of Memphis pastor Demarcus Smith. How does it make any sense?

Rosa Sunshine read your Bible ma'am in God eyes SIN IS SIN! You can put it in whatever cateogory you want too. But the Bible says that it stinks (SIN) in His nosterils! Please understand that I am not taking up for this man, and what he did was wrong and, no - I would not trust him around my child, but the fact is, we need to quit acting as if we are soooo squeaky clean! If only we all lived in a glass house, so the world could see all of our secrets 24/7, and let them judge if your sins hurt other people or not. LOL...The fact is ALL OF OUR SINS HURT GOD!! That's what matter Ms. Rosa. - Edwin Williams

We hurt God how exactly? Our thought crimes hurt just as much as a pastor’s child rape? It is horrible logic and makes no sense. It’s like talking to children about Santa. The rules are fluid.

I don’t even understand why people make the argument. There are real victims in this case. Real children were hurt. Real crimes were allegedly committed that require justice. What does it matter what I say in comparison to the alleged crimes of this would be monster? Am I to remain silent? Of course. I don’t believe in the concept of sin, but there are a lot of people out there who do and to whom this argument makes some kind of perverse sense. This thinking is nonsense that leads to the next argument, one that says only God can judge and punish. We can judge. We can punish. I am comforted by the knowledge that we will do so in this case.

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Evan, at On the way to Ithaca, the blog of a Greek atheist, wrote an article on the state of atheist blogging. The stats break down to active (ενεργά), inactive (ανενεργά) and no longer existent (ανύπαρκτα). I do not think the results paint a healthy picture.

Evan says the work took in about four hours. I am grateful for the effort. Thank Evan! I have not updated The Atheist Blogroll since Jan 26, 2014. With my professional obligations, I do not have the time to dedicate to the task.

If a few interested atheists would like to join me in an effort to revitalize the list, drop me a email. I would be happy to get it going again; even if we just list all active atheist blogs as a resource for the community.

Saturday, August 29, 2015

I took a two-week break from blogging about religious hypocrisy, but unfortunately, it is time to start documenting the cases again. I hesitate to open Google though, I already know there are a lot of new cases, at least 25. I’m skipping the new cases from Africa in this issue. I just don’t have the time to write them up.

My wife asked me if I was anti-Muslim. I said, “No, I’m anti-hypocrite.”

Pastor Mickey Kirkland was arrested for domestic violence. I’m sure he plans a biblical defense. Kirkland is the pastor of the Lighthouse Church in Montgomery, Al., and a former gubernatorial candidate.

Pastor David Donaldson, 78, was arrested for molesting a child in Sandia, Tx. He was arrested by the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force as he had been on the run.

Pastor Stephen Pohl was arrested for possession of child pornography. Pohl worked as a priest for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, Ky. The priest took child erotica photos of St. Margaret Mary students.

Baptist pastor Vitaly Korchevsky was arrested for insider trading. His church supports him though, cause he could not possibly have been involved. Korchevsky is the pastor at the Slavic Evangelical Baptist Church in Brookhaven, Pa, He allegedly pocketed 17.5 million dollars.

Baptist youth pastor Donald Dewyne Ramsey was arrested for raping a teen girl. He was the youth pastor at Peace Baptist Church in Castle Hyde, Nc., is when the alleged rape occurred. They church is shocked, of course they game Ramsey unsupervised control of children…

Pastor Suler Acosta of City Church York in York City, Pa., was arrested for soliciting prostitution. Shame! Shame! Acosta resigned over the scandal.

Baptist pastor George Kieth Hall and his wife were arrested for embezzlement. Hall was the pastor at Journey Church in Triad, Nc. The Halls had helped ‘plant’ the church, then allegedly misappropriated $40k in cash.

Pastor James Robert Smith, was arrested a second time for child molestation. Smith worked at the Morningstar House of Prayer in Ridgeview, in W.Va. Smith, also known as “J.R.” was originally arrested in 2014 for the rape of a ten-year-old boy. His church stood by him at the time, but not so much now.

Baptist pastor Timothy Williams was arrested for possession of child pornography. Williams was the pastor at Heritage Baptist Church in Greenwood, IL. Williams was removed from the church website when the police searched his home. All records of him are gone and the church makes no mention of the scandal. This is typical.

Pastor Gene Emerson, the founding pastor of KingsWay Church in Richmond, Va., was convicted of trying to plant his seed in a prostitute. Emerson resigned and his church is moving on and doing so publicly. Good for them.

Baptist youth pastor Willam C. Lewis was arrested for child molestation. Lewis was the youth pastor at First Jordan Grove Baptist Church in Brunswick, Ga.

Baptist youth pastor Demarcus Smith of Oak Hill Missionary Baptist Church in South Memphis, Tn., was arrested on child pornography charges. Smith allegedly coerced a boy into taking indecent photos of himself and then send him the pictures. Did I mention Smith is a member of the Baptist Ministerial Association and a snappy dresser?

Pastor Gregory Hawkins was sentenced to life in prison for sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. Hawkins was the pastor at Zion Plaza Church in Tulsa, Ok. Hawkins was originally arrested in 2013.

Joseph H. Patterson, a 22-year member of the Boulevard Baptist Church in N.C., was denied bond over a series of child exploitation incidents, some of which took place at the church. The church pastor, John McKinnely, was shocked by the allegations. I would be too.

Pastor Juan Gomez, already arrested on sexual battery charges, faces more charges because new victims have come forward. The DA intends to file charges that will result in life in prison if convicted. Gomez was the pastor at Iglesia De Dios Church in Wimauma, Fl.

Pastor Samuel McCullough, 84, was arrested for the attempted rape of a child. McCullough is pastor of the misnamed Caring and Sharing Christian Ministry, in Rochester, Ny.

India is the world’s largest democracy, but is it civilized? I ask because of stories from India that seem like the people live in the 10th century. They sit atop the global slavery index with 14 million adults and children trapped in modern slavery. Poverty is endemic and institutionalized. Plus, Indian’s still fight over the caste system, which is illegal by statute, but still practiced by custom. And, the caste system is still used to justify horrific punishments for violating antiquated social norms.

Is it really permissible to punish two innocent sisters for the actions of their brother simply because they are members of the lowest caste in their village? The news this week is full of outrage over two sisters from a village near Delhi who were sentenced to be raped for ‘crimes’ committed by their brother who ran off with a married woman from a higher caste. Is that even a crime? It’s a caste issue, which feels a lot like our American racist BS.

Is India civilized? I think its fair to ask the question. I ask the same questions about America too. Are you listening Kentucky?

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Jared Fogle will go away for a few years. It turns out he is a freak. I know that it is hard to miss the news. He’s all over the headlines as he’s admitted to child porn and having sex with underage girls. The charges do not include the word rape, which I find repugnant. Fogle cut a deal with the charges and will only do a few years in prison, but even five years will be enough to assure that he returns to civilian life a changed man. Prison is tough on child molesters. He’s in for some hard time.

I am pleased to learn that a porn sniffing dog helped bring this bastard down. I hear the pouch is rentable… You listening churches?

And Subway is looking at its own execs to see if anybody knew or suspected. There is evidence that allegations were reported to Subway. If true, this could get complicated.

I also learned that Fogle Child Obesity Foundation has never issued a grant. It appears the foundation was designed to build and image and possible get him access to kids.

Is there anything to learn from this case? The Huffington Post thinks so. The author reminds us that pedophilia is a clinical disorder. I don’t really care about that. What I learned is that powerful people are enabled by those around them, be it a large corporation or the people he associates with. Money hides many sins.

What the hell is Ashley Madison and why should I care? I started seeing the news and originally thought it was a shopping site that had been hacked. My wife had to explain it to me. Now I find out it’s an unknown (to me anyway) way for married adults to hook up for extra marital affairs. Again, why should I care? Adults are free to do as they please.

I turns out that pious Christian and Muslim moralists like and use the site. Well, I’m not surprised nor should any reader of this blog be surprised. These people are liars and worse, forgiven liars.

Then there is the totally obnoxious Christian Lifestyle blogger, who had an Ashley Madison account. He only admits to having the account. God forgave him too, so please continue watching his videos to he can make a living telling you how to live.

Islamist Hamza Tzortzis had an account that he denies was his. He just wanted a female for cuddling, blowjobs and hand jobs. It’s all good though, the paid account using his address and email was obviously an fraud. You can go on believing his hate speech. It’s all good.

None of us believe that the Executive Director of the Louisana Republican party, Jason Doré, did “opposition research” with his paid account. Has he been fired yet? I was doing research… right.

People are killing themselves over the scandal. No pastors yet, but I’m sure its just a matter of time. Don’t kill yourselves people. It’s just adultery. God will forgive you. Just pray it away.

Monday, August 17, 2015

I recently attended a Catholic memorial mass for a friend. He was a Lutheran, but his wife was Catholic. I thought it odd that priest would perform a memorial mass for a man from a religious sect that was formed in protest of the Catholic church. I don’t understand how that works.

I sat in the back, wearing a suit and my dark sun glasses, while the service played out. I did not want to engage with others, although I was joined by a fellow malcontent just before the service started. My friend was loved by many and most came. It was touching.

I was not comforted by the mass. Others were. I could see that by the reactions on the faces and bodies of those around me. I was asked to alternately stand, sit or kneel throughout the service. I kept wondering how any of this made sense. Stand and repeat the following words. Sit or stand and listen to a sad song. Kneel and pray. Stand and pray. Shake a bunch of hands. Eat a wafer. Get a blessing. I was not raised Catholic, so the rituals are a mystery to me, but even Protestant rituals baffle me, I find the them troubling in that they only mean something if you invest the time to learn them.

The priest spoke like he knew my friend would be with God in heaven. If I understand things correctly, the priest would have absolutely zero confidence that a non-Catholic could make it to heaven. Yet he spoke like it was all good. He spoke lies though. Every word was a lie.

A friend from the true church (or so he says), a Coptic Christian from the Orthodox Church of Alexandria, sat across the isle from me. He seemed as baffled by the service as me. I noticed that he did not go up to receive a blessing. We both watched as almost everyone else did though. Why would an atheist take a blessing? What purpose would that serve?

I sat among strangers, friends and political enemies. We shook hands at one point as it was part of the ritual. People muttered platitudes while offering a hand. I shook a man’s hand that I would just as soon punch in the nose, all with a tight-lipped smile. It’s a week or so later as I write this. I’d still rather punch him in the nose.

The service took an hour, half of which was dedicated to getting ready for and performing the Eucharist. It was a performance. Let’s call it religious theater. First you wash the dishes, then you set the table, then you pray, then you eat, then you feed the masses, then you clean, then you put pretty things away, and then you pray. The service continues on after this though; on and on with more praying and more songs.

The priest told us only that good Catholics could take the sacrament. He seemed pretty damn serious. One must be a Catholic in good standing and have gone to confession, otherwise it was a sin to take the wafer. Like I said… serious and oddly out of context given the nature of the service.

I don’t mean to sound sacrilegious or trite, but I just don’t get it. I know the service means something for others, but it was meaningless for me. I hugged my friend’s wife and told her to reach out if she needs help. She only speaks Spanish, so I’m sure my gesture was lost on her. I’ll follow up though because I meant what I said. There are no prayers in me, but if she needs a lift to get the car fixed or a hand around the house, I’ll be there for her.

I shook a few hands and slapped a few backs after the service. It was good to see a few old friends. All too soon I felt the normal social awkwardness creep back into my mind as people pressed in around me and starting asking questions, so looked for an excuse to leave and took it. I snuck out a few minutes later and had lunch with a friend.

At the opening hearing into the Jehovah’s Witnesses on Monday, Angus Stewart, senior council assisting the commission, described the church as an insular sect with rules designed to stem the reporting of sexual abuse.

“Evidence will be put before the Royal Commission that of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse identified by the Jehovah’s Witness Church since 1950, not one was reported by the church to secular authorities,” he said. - via New York Post

I think we can assume that if the Jehovah’s Witnesses Church in Australia has rules the hide child sexual abuse, then the church would have the same process in place in Europe and the United States. I think we need a congressional investigation into religious child sexual abuse. We can start with Catholics and Baptists and then move on to the more insular sects.

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Rev. John Regan is transitioning back to ministry after completing 48 months of probation on a felony conviction for stealing $300k from St. Walter’s Parish in Chicago. Hey… priests deserve a second chance, right?

"Because of my addiction, I know what sin, shame, public humiliation and scandal are. I have experienced and felt them," Regan wrote on the website. "But because of God's grace and my 12-step recovery group, I also know what redemption, forgiveness and God's mercy are." - via chicagotribune.com

Prompted by Pope Francis’s trip to Philadelphia this fall, Salveson has renewed his activism toward the church, calling for the pontiff and other participants in a global Catholic meeting on family issues to discuss child sex abuse by clergy members and wear black ribbons to represent “the darkness that infects the souls of survivors,” he said. - via Washington Post

Did you hear the one about a priest, a doughnut and gay sex? Rev. John Riccardo spouts nonsense to children. Read this for more.

A 10-year-old rape victim, denied an abortion in Paraguay, gave birth via cesarean section. The deeply Catholic South American nation only allows abortions when a woman’s live is in danger. I guess forcing a child to live in protected custody while pregnant and then giving a her a cesarean does not translated to putting the child’s life danger. Wait… it would here in the states, what’s the difference? I’d say its religion.

Speaking of Paraguay, one of the chief architects of the religious fervor which puts the lives of child rape victims at risk, Rogelio Livieres Plano, has died. Plano was ousted by Pope Francis over irregularities.

The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City is apologizing for clergy sexual abuse and inviting victims for a series of prayer and healing services. If I understand this correctly, priests who did not abuse people will forgive the victims through prayer and somehow magically heal them. Yep… that will help.

The Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese has reached a settlement in its five-year-old bankruptcy over liability for clergy sexual abuse and will pay $21 million to the victims.

Can a serial killer be forgiven? Michel Ross thought that God forgave him because he became a Catholic. One becomes a Catholic by baptism, confirmation and taking the holy Eucharist, plus in Ross’ case, one hell of a confession. Ross strangled and raped nine young girls and was killed by lethal injection in 2005. Now Connecticut has declared the death penalty unconstitutional and other murders like Ross will sit in prison rather than get their rewards in heaven.

Catholic bishop and homophobe, Vitus Hounder, stands by his bible-motivated comment that gays should be put to death. He’s from Europe, doesn’t that constitute a hate crime or something?

From Spain - Former Catholic High School religion teacher Paula Comeaux Latiolais pleaded no contest to charges that she raped a former student. She was sentenced to 5 years probation and a $6k fine. She had sex with her student over 250 times.

Retired priest Charles Antekeier, 79, can no longer present himself as a priest because of incidents involving a minor in 1984 and 1985. Antekeier worked in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. He’s been reported to the authorities.

Rev. Richard McCormack, a convicted child rapist, has pleaded guilty to a charge of sexual assault on a young boy. The message here is clear; Parents, don’t send your kids off to Catholic summer camp, especially at the Salesian Brothers’ Sacred Heart Retreat House in New York.

Friday, August 14, 2015

This is an interesting article on the public face of Christianity in the USAF. It’s worth a read.

It’s an interesting article in The Economist on the public endorsement of religion in the USAF.CHRISTINA HOPPER, an officer in the American air force, attracts a lot of publicity, for several reasons. Having flown combat missions over Iraq, she has been hailed as the first African-American woman to pilot a fighter aircraft in an active war zone. She is also a passionate evangelical Christian, who believes that she had a divine vocation to become a pilot of war planes. Her nickname, and call-sign, is Thumper, which is short for Bible-thumper.

And then there’s a Christian women in Ghana who uses her ‘butts’ as bait to attract men and then ministers to them about Christ. I see a new movement starting, Twerking for Jesus.

There are times when a pastor’s arrest is a good thing. Like the arrest of Osagyefo Sekou, a pastor at First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plan, who was arrested for peacefully protesting in Ferguson, Mo.

The moral advantage of christianity was in full view this week when the three sons of pastor Melvin Jefferson pleaded guilty to selling cocaine. Son’s Marvin Jefferson a former pastor, Shannon Jefferson and stepson Jimmy Lanier now face prison. Perhaps they can start a ministry?

In case you missed my horrific story on the arrest of pastor Howard Chambers, here is the link.

New Cases

Former youth pastor Jason Phillips, a convicted pedophile, was arrested for stepping foot onto the property of a daycare center. Phillips was paroled after four years in prison and is a registered sex offender. Let’s hope this sends him back to prison.

Local church treasurer, Thomas Thompson, 59, was arrested for grand larceny. He allegedly had been using the money to pay his personal bills. Thompson worked at Zion Episcopal Church in Hudson Falls, N.Y.

Pastor David Volmer, 41, pleaded guilty to 12 charges related to his rape of a 13-year-old girl. He gave his victim amyl nitrate before raping her. Volmer was the pastor at ACTS Christian Church in Perth, Australia.

Youth pastor Christopher Dodson was charged with having sexual contact with a girl while working at a Christian youth camp. Dodson was a youth pastor at Bayard Church of Christ in South Dakota.

Youth pastor James Robert “JR” Smith was arrested on charges he molested a child in Indiana. It’s his second arrest. Smith was arrested in October 2014 on charges that he molested a child while a youth pastor at Morning Star House of Prayer in Ridgeview.

Bad advice from Pat Robertson

Pat Robertson tells a grandmother to take her grandchild to prevent the child from being damaged by atheist parents. He suggests sending the child to a christian school where they can be taught buggery by a wide array of Christian pedophiles teachers (ok, I made that last part up). Here are a few examples of what the poor child could face.

I could go on, but I stopped after eight cases. There are hundreds of similar cases showing in Google. My point is that Christian schools are no safer than secular schools. There are no safe places and being a Christian offers no moral advantage.

Sunday, August 09, 2015

I thought Agnipariksha was an Indian TV show? I guess it also means that rape victims in India can balance a rock on their head to prove purity.

The rape survivor, who became pregnant as a result of the attack and had been denied an abortion by Gujarat High Court in India, has to undergo a ritual, called ‘Agnipariksha‘. If she passes this ‘sanctity test’, she would be able to live with her husband again. - via The Express Tribune

Some tips are about old case, some are about new cases and some are about cases that I’ve missed. I missed the case of Baptist music pastor Howard Chambers. I’m sorry I did too. It is horrible on many levels and leaves questions.

Pastor Howard ‘Key’ Chambers was the minister of music at DeHaven Baptist Church in LaGrange at the time of his arrest for the alleged sexual exploitation of a child. The details of this case are particularly disturbing as the story includes a Craigslist add, a ten-year-old girl, forced prostitution and rape.

Chambers placed an ad Craigslist in which he described a sexual fantasy where a 62-year-old granddaddy was looking to play with his young teen granddaughter. A man responded to the ad and sold his 10-year-old daughter to Chambers for sex. Chambers would play out his fantasy at least seven or eight times.

When interviewed he claim the victims father forced the sex and directed all of the activity. Chambers claimed that he returned because the man was going to turn him in.

I read every article I could find on this case and I found few answers. What did his employer do? What actions were taken to address possible abuse at the church? Did they even look for abuse among the children Chambers had access too? I found some references to Pastor Ross Bauscher and DeHaven Baptist Church not making a decision about Chambers’ future. I found some other comments related to disbelieve and support for Chambers, but these are typical of the Baptist response to abuse allegations.

We're told the 62-year-old goes by 'Key' and is the minister of music at DeHaven Baptist Church in LaGrange. Anna Sue Craigmyle has been going there for decades and sings in the choir.

"He just was a fun guy to be around," she said. "I'm just, I'm sick, I really am," she said about the charges. - via www.wdrb.com

Saturday, August 08, 2015

This guest post was submitted by a reader about youth pastor Garth Bent, who I posted on in 2008 and again in 2009 when I got a tip that Bent pleaded guilty to molesting a young boy in 1982. The conviction never made the press. I’m always mindful that the damage from these cases touch many lives. I present the story below unedited and in full.

This is my Story about Garth Bent - Peter Judd

As a young boy, many of us look up to older guys, people whom we trust and we think are just wonderful.

I attended camp, Ontario Pioneer Camp. Garth was my Councillor the last year I was there. I was about 13 years old. He took us on Canoe trips, He was the best fisherman in the whole camp. He was just a great guy.

I always wondered about him for years. 3 years ago I took my own child to OPC and he loved it, He has been going ever since. Now I have two boys going and my wife is camp nurse.

I asked the manager this summer about Garth and she told me his last name. So I looked it up on the internet.

I was devastated to learn he had been charged with 4 counts of sexual assault. My Child hood Hero, a child molester.

I am deeply sorry for what happened to those kids, now adults. To me, he was a great person. What happened….?

The Assaults did not , from what I understand , take place at OPC. I still send my kids there, they still love it. My wife is A wonderful nurse.

I am very deeply hurt by this. If you or anyone knows of what became of Garth, I would like to know.

There are six new cases in this post and updates on a few more. It’s all stories of hate and wickedness of the worst kind. Kids are abused and people are hurt, all by men of God. It never stops. The corruption eats everything.

I read the Baylor study on Clergy Sexual Misconduct recently. I was struck by this fact: "In the average American congregation of 400 persons, with women representing, on average, 60% of the congregations, there are, on average 7 women who have experienced clergy sexual misconduct.”

New Cases

Baptist youth pastor and teacher William Lewis, 26, of Brunswick, Ga., was arrested on two counts of child molestation. He allegedly touched and rubbed a ten year old boy. Lewis was the youth pastor at Grove Baptist Church and a first grade teacher at Altama Elementary School.

Youth pastor Jimmy Chang, 32, was arrested for sexually exploiting a teenage girl. Chang is charged with second-degree sexual assault. Chang was the owner and chief instructor at a Kumon learning center in Manchester, Conn. The center has since been shut down by Kumon North America.

Daycare worker and self described youth pastor Matthew Shaw was arrested after uploading thousands of images containing child porn. Google alerted authorities. Shaw’s Facebook profile claims he is a youth pastor Harvest Christian Church. I’m not sure if a cook at a daycare center qualifies as a youth pastor, but hey, people can say anything on Facebook. Shaw’s twitter profile @PastorMatthea makes the same claim.

Pastor Melvin Ollison Sr. (Facebook) was arrested on multiple counts of rape. At least one victim was five. At one time, the alleged serial rapist lead the Giants 4 Jesus in Byboro, Ollison’s bail is set at $1 million dollars.

Roman Catholic pastor Octavio Munoz Capetillo was removed as pastor of St. Pancratius Church in Brighton Park amid an investigation into sexual images found on his computer.

"Given the nature of the material, we reported our concerns to the civil authorities and will cooperate fully in their investigation," the archdiocese said in a statement. "In the interim, Archbishop (Blase) Cupich has withdrawn Father Munoz's ... authority to minister." - via chicagotribune.com

Roman Catholic pastor Monsignor Michael Heras of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, resigned amid accusations of inappropriate conduct. The Nueces County District Attorney’s office is investigating.

Updates and interesting stories

The rape charges against Pastor Yohandry Bravohave been dismissed. I’m not sure of the details, but it looks like there may have been credibility problems with the accuser. I originally posted on Yohandry on May 9th.

Two churches are cooperating with authorities on the investigation of Baptist youth pastor Brian Burchfield. Both churches released statements confirming cooperation and support for the investigation. Odd really… this kind of things almost never happens with Baptists.

Rev. Joseph D. Maurizio’s trail is set to start in September and will require translators because the government is bring in witnesses from Honduras to testify about his alleged sexual abuse of orphan children.

M.M. Cox writes about disgraced baptist youth pastor Brian Burchfield (CoH#15) and her desire to paint her church as a place of love, fellowship and commitment after allegations of sexual abuse surfaced earlier this year. Her words ring true, but are naive.

Then, as a church, we move forward. We all make mistakes, and Christians never claim to be perfect. But we don’t condone criminal acts, and Quail Springs Baptist has shown that in their statement to the public: - via The Edmond Sun

As for “moving forward” the most likely scenario in Burchfield's case is a painful and ugly trial, followed by an even more painful civil suit or suits, followed by the church struggling to pay its judgments, and in the worst case scenario, Quail Springs Baptist Church will close. It happens all the time. Don’t worry though… there in another church with another youth pastor, just down the road.

Friday, August 07, 2015

There is a quote in this story about convicted sex offender swami Prakashanand Saraswati that I found chilling.

"He was very affectionate with everybody, and then the kids, he was really, like, cuddly and he'd give you hugs and kisses that just felt like your grandpa. But then sometime his kisses got weird." - via CNN

It’s an interesting read and a chilling story. People forget that great leaders and often those with the most troubling proclivities. Take Mohandas Gandhi for example. In the building of his post death “father of a nation” legend, his sexual oddness was whitewashed. I still get punched by people when I mention this story. People want to believe in the legend.

Saturday, August 01, 2015

I had a crazy week, but like Neil Young once said, rust never sleeps. I only managed to type the phrase “pastor arrested” and found my time filled with stories.

Hypocrisy is not a way of getting back to the moral high ground. Pretending you’re moral, Saying your moral is not the same as acting morally. - Alan Dershowitz

New Cases

Baptist pastor Brian Burchfield was arrested on charges of soliciting sexual conduct with minors who were members of his former church. The victims, all boys, were between 14 and 17 years of age. Burchfield’s alleged abuse took place while he lead Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee and more recently, pastor at Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, OK.

Pastor Peter Kneel was arrested on charges that he allegedly sexually assaulted a child. There may be more victims as he was also a school bus driver. Kneel was a pastor at Fox River Christian Church in Waukesha, Wi.

Pastor Juan Jose Gomez was arrested on charges that he allegedly sexually assaulted a 17-year-old boy. Gomez is the pastor at Iglesia De Dios Church in Wimauma, Fl.

Catholic pastoral associate Oscar Vasquez-Guzman was arrested and charged with two counts of child molesting, seven counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and one count of attempted sexual misconduct with a minor. Guzman was the religious education director at St. Anthony Parish in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, IN.

“Pastor” Edgar Daniel Johnson was arrested for forcing prisoners to have sex with him. Johnson said he was a pastor and quoted the bible before allegedly forcing women to have sex.

Updates and interesting stories

Baptist youth pastor and teacher Casey Dyck, 24, was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison for having sexual relations with an underage girl. The victim was 16. Dyck worked at Centennial Baptist School in Caldwell, IN.

One victim told police Dyck promised her extra credit is she wore low-cut tops and short skirts to school. - via KTVB

A church production engineer named Joseph Averitt at the New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka was arrested for sexual batter on a 14-year-old girl with mental disabilities. Get this…

Joseph Averitt, 33, is facing 11 charges overall for molesting the young girl inside the New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka where he worked, as well as in the apartment he shared with his wife and child, and in his car while his infant son sat in the backseat crying. - via www.rawstory.com

Pastor Venije Singkoh, 70, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and two years probation for a misdemeanor charge of child sexual annoyance. Read more at CoH#5.

Pastor Anthony Lynn Thibodeaux’s conviction for child sexual abuse was upheld by the 10th Court of Appeals. Thibodeaux goes back to serving a long 18 years in prison.

Pastor James Tyrus Johnson will serve no prison time for sex crimes involving a child because of a plea deal. Johnson was the pastor at Olive Branch Church in Leland, NC. My guess is that he’s still the pastor.

Asks the same girl to advertise herself on Craigslist so that he could watch her having sex with other men.

Asks the same girl for an introductionto her underage cousin and a possible threesome.

Did I miss anything? Oh… Subway allegedly knew about the relationship and did nothing.

The FBI has subpoenaed an affidavit containing alleged texts between former Subway spokesman Jared Fogle and a former female Subway franchisee in which Fogle says he paid for sex with a 16-year-old girl, according to the former franchisee's attorney. - via Business Insider

The age of consent in Indiana is 16, so Fogle may have done nothing legally wrong while at the same time doing everything morally wrong.

Today’s post contains a few new cases and headlines from Africa. Enjoy

Pastor Dominique Donders was reassigned as a chaplain after being convicted and later acquitted of the possession of child pornography. He got off on a technicality. The original photos of underage girls were lost and the paper copies were did not have enough fidelity to prove the girls were underage. Donders serves and pervs in Brabant, Netherlands.

VineLife Church in Boulder was accused of a ‘disturbing culture of secrecy’ stemming from a youth pastor’s sex abuse case. In 2013, VineLife youth pastor Jason Roberson was arrested for sexual assault of a child. Robertson pleased guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison. There was fallout from the conviction.

Antigay Minneapolis Roman Catholic archbishop John Nienstedt, faces allegations that he frequented gay bars, cruised for sex and made or carried out threats agains men who rebuffed his advances.

A Michigan priest recalled seeing him in a gay bar in Windsor, Canada, just across the border from Detroit, in the 1980s. Nienstedt was a priest, seminary rector and president, and auxiliary bishop in the Detroit area before moving to Minnesota. Another reported encountering him in a Detroit park known as a gay cruising spot and said Nienstedt asked him for poppers; when Nienstedt “recognized him as a former student, he changed the subject,” the Star Tribune reports. - via Advocate.com

A priest-turned-politician stands accused of lying about his resume. Former pastor George Hoehmann claims to have a degree in ecclesiastical history from Notre Dame. In reality, no degree exists. It should not matter though, he’s running for political office.

The Archdiocese of Cebu in the Philippines is investigating pastor Prudence Operiano for allegedly molesting a girl who was part of the St. Raphael Archangel Parish Church. The molestation occurred on Christmas eve. I wonder if it was an offering?

Pastor Xavier Franklin Lewis of the Holy Ghost Praise and Deliverance Ministries, was sentenced to about nine years in prison for his role in a tax fraud scheme. Lewis operated his scam in the Savannah, Ga.

In 2009, a 24-year-old man identified only as Eric reported to Galvan that Lopez had sexually molested him when Eric was 11. Eric's parents also demanded that Galvan take action to prevent the priest from harming other children, but Galvan reportedly transferred Lopez to another parish. The priest's current whereabouts were not known. - via The Sun Herald

Pastor Christopher Howarth, mentioned in COH #6, was convicted of sexual offenses against two boys. Sentencing is August 7. Howarth committed his crimes in Uckfield, UK.

In other news…

What price does one pay for prosecuting the church? Boz Tchividjian, former child abuse chief prosecutor, knows, and his article, The spiritual struggle of fighting the church makes for an interesting read. Tchividjian is the 3rd-eldest grandson of Rev. Billy Graham and the brother of disgraced pastorTullian Tchividjian.

In my professional life, though, the church is often my adversary. In the 26 years I have worked in the field of child protection, I have seen the church repeatedly used as an instrument of abuse. We all know of priests and pastors who have sexually abused children. What we fail to realize is that most sex offenders claim to be religious and often use the church to great advantage. When sexual abuse is found within the church, parishioners often rally around the offender and ostracize the victim. - via Rhymes with Religion

Jeff Buchheit thinks the Archdiocese of Dubuque dropped the investigation into his sex abuse allegations against Rev. Leo Riley too quickly. The archdiocese cleared Riley five days after an initial interview with Riley. I smell rotten fish. I smell a lawsuit too. Rev. Leo Riley made CoH #10.

A catholic priest named Rev. Mark Beard, denied Mark Ardillo communion at his mother’s funeral. Ardillo is gay and married. The priest may of learned of it in the obituary. God forbid that a grieving man eat a stale communion wafer at a time of intense spiritual need. What a jerk.

Church is supposed to be a safe place, right? Well… not really. One of the main point of these Chronicles of Hypocrisy posts is that bad things happen in holy place. Liberty Bible Church in Chesterton is supposed to be a holy and safe place, yet the alleged rape and molestation of a mentally challenged woman happened there, as did the molestation of two other mentally challenged women. The alleged perpetrator is Thomas Cooperider. He’s not a pastor or in church leadership in any capacity. He’s just a Christian and long-time member of the church.

Friday, July 17, 2015

When arrests are made for possession of child porn, a common refrain from those arrested is that the violation was caused by a virus, pop-up ad or malware. It’s an unbelievable excuse, but people use it every day.

Pastor Corey Butler will use the malware defense in his DeKalb County child porn trial. Butler will depend on the technical ineptitude of the jury to escape accountability for his deliberate crimes. To the uninitiated, a malware infestation might seem plausible. If the jury is selected with an slant towards the elderly and ignorant, the jurors might believe that an evil virus help bent on ruining a good man might be plausible. Yikes! I know plenty of people who would buy that story… my mom for example. It’s a scary thought because Butler’s assertion is a lie wrapped in a common misconception.

Butler was accused of possession and distribution of child pornography from a computer in his home. Possession is having child porn stored on a computer. Distribution is sending child porn to another party. What pop-up ad or virus does that? A malicious hacker might accomplish the task, but Butler is a nobody. Why him? Plus, Butler admitted to surfing porn sites,so he has a foot in the door of inappropriate behavior, well, for a pastor at least.

The activity he was arrested for is one where child porn is downloaded and then sent to another party. His pop up and evil interwebs story does not ring true. These types of stories never do. When you add the lies and misdirections that make up his life, he has no credibility. He calls himself a PhD, an apostle and a pastor, yet he surfs porn and has never graduated from an accredited university. I think Pastor Corey Butler is looking at long 30 long years in protective custody. He might want to update his LinkedIn profile.

Rev. David Bendix resigned his position as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in New Ulm after an arrest for prostitution.

"I made a grave error in judgment. I just want everyone to know how very, very sorry I am," he said. - via www.nujournal.com

Yes. Hitting a hooker is a grave moral error if one is a pastor. Yes, Bendix should resign because his is not the person that he makes himself out to be. No, it’s not the same thing as being arrested for hurting an innocent person. He had a lapse in judgement and has poor impulse control. Bendix does not belong in one of my post on Hypocrisy. He’s just a normal Joe that happens to be a pastor with a hooker problem. It’s more common than you think.

I am bothered by the Bendix narrative? He resigned because he was caught. Would he have resigned if he had not been caught? He also says that he made a mistake, but if you read closely, he’s really saying that this is his first mistake, his first slip. It fits the narrative he’s trying to build. One in which he clicked an ad on the evil interwebs and ended up in a hotel with a hooker. Does his narrative ring true? I don’t think so and experience tells me that he is working hard on spin to save what’s left of his life.